


This Is Probably a Terrible Idea...But I Kinda Like It

by orphan_account



Series: Glass In An Earthquake [1]
Category: The Avengers - All Fandoms
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Coulson doesn't die in this one, F/M, M/M, New York City, Tony learns to love certain things because of Steve
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-09-09
Updated: 2012-09-09
Packaged: 2017-11-13 22:13:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,270
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/508264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tony Stark is a freshman in university when he meets Steve Rogers in a bar. Steve sort of intimidates Tony but eventually he becomes comfortable and things happen.</p>
            </blockquote>





	This Is Probably a Terrible Idea...But I Kinda Like It

It was a cool October morning; the air was just beginning to smell of autumn and the trees were already shedding colourful leaves onto the dewy grass of Central Park. Tony Stark hung his upper body over a bridge, observing his rippled reflection sway around on the somewhat murky water of a pond. Tony liked to come here when his thoughts started to overwhelm him, it was peaceful, something he didn’t often feel in his life. He was in his first semester of university and as much as he wanted to enjoy being there, he kept wondering if this was the life he was meant to lead, as his imagination so often wandered elsewhere, to a place where he wasn’t constantly trying to live up to the expectations of his father. Though Howard – Tony’s father – had died quite a few years ago, Tony still felt as though he was living in his shadow, like he had to prove something. Though, no matter how hard he tried to figure it out, he never really knew what the something was exactly. Regardless, Tony knew he wanted to change something in the world; he just wasn’t sure what yet.

* * *

 

“Hey, Stark, rise and shine!” Clint Barton was hovering over Tony’s face – way too close for it to be considered comfortable – when Tony opened his eyes.

“I…What? What are you doing in my bedroom?” Tony heard giggling all around him and immediately realised he was not in his room at all; he was in one of the lecture halls, with his face plastered to his desk. Tony quickly sat upright, wiping the drool that had accumulated in his sleep off his cheek and tried to compose himself.

“Well sleeping beauty, nice of you to join us.” Clint smiled at him – a stupid toothy grin that looked as though it would suit the face of a child better – and did this annoying bow gesture toward Tony’s seat.

“Uh, thanks, I think.” Was the only reply Tony could muster and it definitely wasn’t helping his complete lack of composure.

The professor cleared his throat, the class all quieted down and turned their attention back to the front of the room, “If we’re all done with our childish antics, I would very much appreciate being let to continue my lesson.” He shot a glance toward where Tony was sitting, and he knew the look was for him even though the professor said nothing and returned to writing notes on the board.

“Hey Barton, thanks for waking me up in such a civil manner,” Tony laid the sarcasm on thick as he shot a very unfriendly glare toward Clint.

“Anytime sir,” Clint replied, and for some reason he bowed at Tony again.

What an ass, Tony thought to himself as he resumed writing notes.

The extra hours Tony had been spending in his father’s lab must have been getting to him because as that wasn’t the last time he dozed off in class.

He really needed to find a suitable way to slap his body back into an alert state, but Tony didn’t have a taste for coffee and energy drinks made his brain go all funny.

Maybe he just needed a distraction.

* * *

 

At the end of the day Tony convinced himself he needed a drink so he wandered down to the university pub to chase away all the rambling thoughts that kept colliding in his mind.

“Double scotch on the rocks please,” Tony nodded at the bartender, not really lifting his head all the way to see a reply. A few seconds later the glass was shot into his hand and Tony threw it back as though it was water. “Another if you would” and he pushed the glass back at the bartender.

“Have a rough day of learning, fella?” Came an unfamiliar voice from behind him and Tony spun around to see who it belonged to. He had to crane his head up a bit to see the face of the person who owned the voice, as, he was remarkably tall.

“Yeah, you could say that.” Another glass of scotch came sliding down the bar and Tony downed this one too, requesting another from the bartender.

“Woah, slow down there, you’re gonna knock yourself out.” The man smiled at Tony, a warm and gentle smile that made a shiver travel down Tony’s spine in a way he’d never experienced.

“Don’t worry, it’ll take a lot more than some scotch to knock me out” and Tony found a laugh emerging from his mouth without permission. Not the sort of laugh that usually came out either, this one was shrouded in glee, which felt slightly foreign in his mouth because he hadn’t felt that happy in a long time. The man sat himself down next to Tony; even sitting his was significantly taller.

“Tonic water please” and the bartender handed the man a glass a few moments later.

“Don’t drink?” Tony inquired.

“Not for quite some time”, the man smiled at Tony and again the shiver shot down his spine in the most peculiar way.

Tony wasn’t exactly sure what to think about this sensation so he just blurted out, “Well I could show you a good time even if you’re sober enough to possibly regret it.” He grinned at the man and he was perfectly certain it was the dopiest look that had ever sat on his face, but for some reason he didn’t care in the least.

“Don’t you want to know my name first? I mean it would only be polite.” The man winked at Tony and gave him a little nudge in the shoulder.

“Oh uh, right, that would be good I suppose.” It felt like the words were being choked out and it was quite uncomfortable which Tony wasn’t used to at all, it was really throwing him off his game.

The man extended his hand and it took a few moments for Tony to register it was even there at all, he shook the man’s hand and tried to smile properly but his face did the dumb dopey thing again.

“Steve” the man continued to smile and shake Tony’s hand.

Tony felt a strange stirring in his stomach, like when you eat a warm dessert on a cold day and it fills your entire body with a gentle heat.

He realised he was still shaking the man’s hand and sort of blushed – why did he blush this was so unlike him – and dropped the hand.

“Who’s Steve?” Was what popped out of Tony’s mouth, and it sounded so overly ridiculous for some reason.

The man only laughed though, “I’m Steve, silly.” Thank god he didn’t notice what a moron Tony was being.

“Oh right, of course you are, I don’t know who else you would be.” A weird sort of choked giggle came from Tony’s mouth; he clapped his hand over his lips to stop it from continuing.

He tried to compose himself – what are you a five year old girl – and replied in his best composed voice, “I’m Tony.”

* * *

 

They talked for what seemed like hours at the bar before Tony realised what time it was and excused himself to go to sleep, though he didn’t exactly sleep when he got back to his room.

He kept running Steve’s face in his mind, how soft and inviting his smile was, that funny sensation the smile made him have, how his body had sort of flinched – but not in a bad way – when Steve had absently laid his hand on Tony’s while they spoke.

As he lay in bed he found himself sighing, a happy sigh, the kind you do when something really pleases you. Tony had never sighed like this before, what the hell was going on. He brushed his fingers over where Steve’s had briefly sat on his hand, for some reason thinking of this sent what felt like a tiny electric shock all throughout Tony’s body.

I need sleep, I’m going crazy about a guy I don’t even know, he thought as he attempted to drift off.

He didn’t fall asleep for several hours because he couldn’t get the thought of Steve running his hands all over him out of his mind.

* * *

 

Tony went to class the next morning having pushed Steve out of his mind, thinking logically he’d never see him again, he was a stranger he met late at the bar, it’s not like he’d ever see him again so why bother thinking about him further.

But Tony was so wrong, he would definitely be seeing Steve again, and sooner than he would have expected.

* * *

 

 

Tony wandered the campus on his lunch break, he couldn’t sit still, it was like he had caffeine jitters but without the caffeine.

He eventually found himself on the Southside of campus where he’d never been, and sat under a big oak trying to quiet the jitters.

He closed his eyes for what he thought was only a few seconds and opened them to find Steve sitting beside him drawing something on a sketch pad, humming a tune quietly to himself.

“Ah, you’re awake at last!” Steve smiled at Tony; Tony’s stomach did stupid backflips. He checked himself to make sure he hadn’t drooled on his shirt or anything else embarrassing, but he was in the clear thankfully.

“How long was I out for?” Tony rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand and blinked sleepily at Steve who just kept smiling. That smile was not helping.

“Uh. An hour, maybe longer. I haven’t been here the whole time.”

“You weren’t like, watching me sleep were you?” Tony inquired.

Steve laughed and that only made the backflips in Tony’s stomach ten times worse, because it was the best laugh Tony had ever heard.

“No, I wasn’t. I figured you wouldn’t appreciate me being creepy this early on, gotta make sure you’re comfortable with me first.” He winked. Dammit.

“What are you drawing?” Tony leaned his head toward Steve’s sketch pad, which he immediately shut.

“It’s uh, a little bit personal, and I’m not ready for anyone to see it just yet. Not to be rude or anything, I’ve only just met you.”

“Says the man who has been sitting beside me while I sleep. Are you an art major then?”

“Touché my good man,” Steve replied, “and yes I am. I’m in my second year actually. What about you, what are you studying?”

“Physics, first year,” Tony said.

“First year, really? You don’t look 18, not that I’m judging your appearance, you just look older that’s all.”

That smile again. How dare he be that attractive and smile.

It was so distracting that Tony nearly forgot he was having a conversation and the next words came out like a wave of nausea.

“I get that a lot, my dad was that way too, he looked older but he still looked young for his age, does that make sense? Also I’m 20, I took a couple months off to sort some things out and my birthday is early in the year.”

Wow rambling, that’s one way to win someone over. Great job, idiot of the year.

Except stupid Steve just smiled more, and ran his tongue across his lips as he pulled his fingers through his hair. Jesus.

“Oh. Yes that does make sense, though I did have to think about it a moment because you were talking pretty fast.” Steve said.

“Sorry. I do that when I get nervous.” Tony was trying so hard to not screw up his words, but it was exceedingly difficult because of how Steve kept looking at him.

Also because every time Steve smiled, Tony wanted him more and it was becoming a bit of a disaster in his head.

Man, the things he’d like to do to that body. Wow.

“I make you nervous, Tony?” Steve asked, seemingly quite innocent, though Tony wasn’t sure if he actually was innocently acting or if this was all a ploy.

“Heh. A little bit.” Tony felt his face getting warmer.

Don’t you dare start blushing and giggling like a little girl again Tony Stark, don’t you dare.

Unfortunately that failed, he was definitely blushing and he could feel the giggle building in his throat, it wanted to escape.

“Why’s that, Tony?” Steve asked. God, did he have to keep saying his name in that voice? It was so…seductive and really really distracting.

“Uh well I,” the words stumbled out of Tony’s mouth and his tongue felt as though it’d been tied tight in a knot. “You’re just really hot and your existence is extremely distracting I don’t know what to do,” he spat out in a very not eloquent manner. 

“Oh. Well, that’s nice, thank you!” Steve smiled again. Fuck you Steve, you stupid attractive asshole. 

At least he took it well, sigh. 

“I’ve got to get to class actually, but I’d like to see you again. Meet here at 6 tonight?” Steve gathered his sketch pad, grabbed his bag and sauntered off, not waiting for a response from Tony. 

Tony just sat there, the most dumbfound look slapped across his face. 

Tony had been attracted to men before, but they were more muscular and had perfect bone structure. Steve was scrawny, gangling and a tad goofy looking – in a very endearing way of course – but he wasn’t the kind of guy Tony usually found himself falling on his face for. 

He couldn’t push Steve’s face from his mind, his laugh, his smile. At the moment, Tony couldn’t imagine any guy more perfect than Steve Rogers.


End file.
